Central Florida Winter Haven Bass Fishing Report
The past week has been great for taking family trips out on the Winter Haven South Chain of Lakes. The weather had been stable in the mid-to-upper 70’s until the frontside of this current cold front moved in on us yesterday morning. With the colder morning air (58), and 10-15mph NNW winds, and overcast skies I dedcided a little later start (09000) would be our best bet.
I headed to the ramp early and even before launching I walked out to the dock to look for any activity. First thing I noticed was that the gills were not roaming but holding to cover on the “sunny” side of the dockposts and cypress stumps. I had bet correctly.
Leaving the dock the surface temp was steady at 68 which was only a slight drop from early in the week. We started on a deeper grass line out in the main lake on the SW side that runs from 6ft out to 16ft where the bass are nearly always out chasing shad and gills, plus with the clear water the bigger fish spawn out deep. The problem was the clouds & wind. I marked beds (holes in the hydrilla), scattered bass and bait but nothing was moving. For about 30+ mins we only caught 2 fish on white Z-MAN MinnowZ and nothing on the bigger 4”-5” shiners or bigger baits like flukes. The little cartoon light bulb over my head went on.
I moved us back to the N shore but stayed on the outside edge of the grass line in 8’-14’ and BOOM, those fish had the feed bag on! We caught fish on smaller 3”-4” shiners plus the smaller profile Z-MAN MinnowZ & Curly Tailz fished on 1/8oz Z-MAN jigheads. With the combination of a protected shoreline, the sun finally shining, and smaller artificial and live baits we caught a boat load of fish in short order.
Forecast: Even with the current frontal conditions and the forecast calling for a roller coaster ride in temps for the next week, you can catch fish on these deeper lakes. When it’s warmer and less windy you can expand your spots to cover the majority of the lakes and fish a little faster with jerkbaits, flukes, and swimjigs. But, when a front hits find a protected shoreline/pocket/cove, slow down, and downsize your baits whether using live or artificial baits.
I hope this helps you catch more fish and enjoy all that Central Florida bass fishing has to offer!
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